


Shoulder to Shoulder

by SaharraShadow



Category: Smallville, Smallville and Stargate, Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-08
Updated: 2013-02-08
Packaged: 2017-11-28 14:33:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/675464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaharraShadow/pseuds/SaharraShadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So....I needed Lionel to be a devil and I've been reading Stargate fic and watching it.  And then I had this what if idea.  But really, Lex and Clark learn they have a common enemy, but before they can agree to anything there has to be a clearing of the un-spoken truths between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shoulder to Shoulder

**Title:** Shoulder to Shoulder  
 **Author:** Saharra Shadow [](http://nightshadow-t2.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://nightshadow-t2.livejournal.com/)**nightshadow_t2**  
 **Email:** Saharra Shadow: nightwing_t2 @ yahoo.com

 **Disclaimer:** Except for any original characters they're not ours, but they did join us for a play date: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. This is for fun people, treat it as fun, please.  
 **Fandoms:** Smallville and Stargate  
 **Pairings/Threesomes:** pre-slash Lex/Clark  
 **Rating:** PG-13 (When I write more in this verse it'll eventually achieve aNC-17 overall)  
 **Word-count:** ~6000  
 **Warnings:** AU--seriously. I've never seen Smallville except for epi 1. Lana doesn't play the nicest part.  
 **Summary:** So....I needed Lionel to be a devil and I've been reading Stargate fic and watching it. And then I had this what if idea. But really, Lex and Clark learn they have a common enemy, but before they can agree to anything there has to be a clearing of the un-spoken truths between them.  
 **Beta(s):** Raven [](http://whiteraven1606.livejournal.com/profile)[**whiteraven1606**](http://whiteraven1606.livejournal.com/) and DA [](http://deathangelgw.livejournal.com/profile)[**deathangelgw**](http://deathangelgw.livejournal.com/)  
 **Archiving:** Sure! Just drop us a note, so we know where it wandered off to.  
 **Banner:** Courtesy of Loracea [](http://ctbn60.livejournal.com/profile)[**ctbn60**](http://ctbn60.livejournal.com/)

Sipping from his bottle of Tynant, Lex watched as Lionel paced back and forth. He was amusing like this. It’d been years since anything had broken his father’s cool, truly broken it to the point that he wasn’t maintaining control of his form. He found the slight flickers of blue flame edging his father's human form as he made a particularly emphatic gesture highly entertaining and he had Clark to thank for it. Clark, who was apparently immune to his father’s machinations. There were possibilities there.

A snarled declaration he hadn’t expected caught his attention. He was infected, or protected rather, by whatever it was about Clark that rendered Lionel’s mental persuasions and tampering moot. He hid a pleased smile behind the lip of his bottle. That one ability, to effortlessly reach and touch his mind, bothered him the most about his creator. Some days it had gotten to the point where he’d lost himself in the chaos, much like that girl in _The Labyrinth_. Except his tormentor didn’t even have the pretense of affection tacked onto his behavior.

Lionel turned towards him and stalked forward until he had eliminated Lex’s boundary of personal space. “One human brat is undermining everything. It shouldn’t be possible. It never has been in the centuries I’ve reigned here.”

“Been trapped and amusing yourself, you mean?” Artificially enhanced eyebrow raised, Lex smirked as Lionel’s frown deepened, his eyes narrowing.

“As if you’re much better. A failed experiment of procreation. You never even managed to obtain half my power.” Lionel reached up and patted his cheek several times in quick succession, the last of the three closer to a slap than a pat. “Now Julian, he'd had promise.”

“And yet, you failed to secure the data correctly and Mother killed him for it. For his perfection.” Lex stepped forward, the bruise on his cheek already fading. “He would have surpassed you, Father. Even as an infant, he had better control. He wouldn’t have ended up dependant on his flesh, forced to return to it or dissipate.”

 _'And that, dear creator, is why I have no issue with this form. My imperfections as you deem them have given me a life you can never obtain. I’ll always be physically mortal, but the older I get, the more my aging slows and my healing abilities increase._ ' He waited, watching Lionel’s face for a reaction. Their proximity was too close for Lionel not to have picked it up, unless he was telling the truth and this infective protection actually existed. There was nothing. No quickly hidden flash of consideration. No sly questioning of Lex's usefulness. Just the pure anger over Lex’s insinuation as he shook, hands clenched.

Lionel turned away, silent in his fury as he gathered up his jacket and phone before calling for his pilot and telling him to have the helicopter waiting. He was leaving now, like he always did when his inability to live up to his Ancient heritage was thrown into his face. Lex smirked at his father’s stiff back as he stalked away. He was neither human nor ascended. Just a freakish hybrid of the two his own people had abandoned. And he aged like a human. Lex dipped his head in acknowledgement. They were only finite amounts, but still one day his body would give out and he wouldn't be able to escape it because a mere six hours later he'd cease to exist.

****

Rubbing his hand over the smooth skin of his head, Lex listened to the soft whump-whump of his father’s helicopter grow fainter. He dropped his gaze to his own hands. They were strong and sure, quick capable hands. If his predictions were correct, then they’d remain that way. He clenched his hands, shaking his head. He wasn’t the evolutionary setback his father had dubbed him. Truthfully he wasn’t capable of the same tricks and manipulations as Lionel. He couldn’t make someone bow to him with a thought or rearrange a minor aspect of reality on a whim, but given time and the necessary resources, he could accomplish most if not all of the same things, the ‘human’ way.

Leaning back in his chair, Lex opened a side drawer and pulled out a picture of him with his mother and Lionel. Lillian had wanted him and Lionel had made it happen. He’d pleased his wife, one of the few he'd allowed the right to check his behavior, and had indulged his own curiosity.

It would have stopped there. He would have remained a doted upon curiosity with a frail constitution. He would have had his indulgence coupled with a tendency to forget him outside of his wife’s reminders, but then Lex had proven himself capable of something similar if not better than Lionel’s own powers. Something closer to what his father should have been. He hadn’t just left his body in those brief moments of transposition, he’d been able to become *more*. It wasn’t Ascension Lionel had said, but it’d been close, closer than Lionel’s capabilities allowed. For a few brief years, he’d interested his father, been his pride and joy. Lex smiled bitterly, his eyes falling closed. It had been exhilarating.

Then the meteor shower had happened. He had changed. His weakened body had become slowly stronger. But as his body had strengthened, those brief flickers of otherness had grown weaker until they'd disappeared all together. And with them went his father. He’d been paying for it ever since, that failure to retain those gifts.

Running a finger over the smiling faces of the parents he remembered, but had long since lost, Lex sighed, eyes falling closed. Eighteen years ago he’d lost everything except the ability to heal, which had gotten stronger as his other talents weakened. Opening his eyes, he tucked the old picture back into his drawer, a harsh croak of laughter escaping before he stamped it down and reined it in. Healing had been pointless...an insult to what had been before. All it had done was make the bruises fade before others could see them.

But now, with time it was more. He would live where as Lionel would die, eventually. And then there was Clark and whatever protection he had given. Clark, who was eighteen. Clark who’s birthday was the same as that of the meteor strike.

“Lex!” The shout echoed up the stairs, disturbing him from his musings. Lex smiled while rising from his chair. Clark, who was apparently searching for him from his entryway. Maybe this time if he offered a truth, he could gain one, the only one that mattered.

****  
Pausing in his work, Clark scrubbed at his forehead and wiped off the dust that had caked there. He'd definitely be taking a shower before school this that morning. And missing the bus...again.

Shrugging, he turned back to the fence-line and continued jogging alongside it. Slowly. His speed was more cumbersome than useful when it came to finding breaks in the line. The breaks themselves he could use his speed for. He slowed and stopped. Like this one. Smiling, the green-eyed farm-boy knelt in the brush and laid his gear beside him before he took the broken ends in hand. A pull, a twist, and he had the break spliced with a bit of extra wire. Hands on his knees, he pushed up, but paused and settled back on his knees at the sound of his name from over by the tree-line across from him. It sounded like Lana. He looked down the rest of the line and then back to the trees. He should be able to check on her and still finish the line.

Nodding, he crept through the fence and moved silently towards the tree line. It'd be nice to see how she was doing since their last talk, the one that had led to both her and Chloe avoiding him for the past week. He shrugged, his shoulders stretching out the plaid work-shirt before it settled back into place and hid the muscle he'd gained over the years once more. He'd told her he was interested in her, but that he didn't want to date her. And then Chloe had piped in and he'd told her the same. They'd both been rather quiet ever since.

Biting his lip, Clark thought back to that Saturday morning he'd been whining about Lana while his Mom had worked on the fixings for a pie. Mom had stopped, leaving her dough on the kitchen counter, and had moved in front of him, grabbing his chin and turning him towards her. Her voice had been firm and she hadn't been playing when she'd asked him that single question that had changed everything: "Would you tell her? About all of this? The powers, the ship...would you tell her your secret?"  
Stunned, he'd sat there and had stared at her before blurting out a horrified, "No!"

She'd nodded, as if expecting the answer and added softly, "Then Clark, you don't love her. If you can't see yourself telling that secret, then you shouldn't be with that person. It's such a part of you, sweetie. You can't deny yourself. That's not normal."

Clark had walked out then and taken off running till he'd ended up at the water tower seconds later. He'd spent the day there, thinking. It was the rock that had made him weak in the knees, not Lana. And Chloe, he just hadn't said no to before. He hadn't dared. But the question his Mom had asked him about Lana applied to her too. He wouldn't have told either of them. And he never wanted them to find out. Pete knew and some days he found himself wishing that he didn't. Pete just made him feel odder sometimes. And then there was Lex. Lex who didn't know, but he wished he did. Clark swallowed hard and shook his head while looking down at the leaf litter beneath his feet. Lana's voice was closer. He paused at the edge of the tree line, wanting to clear his head before he stepped into view, but the second voice that made itself known in the small clearing pulled him up short and, instead of stepping out, he huddled behind the trunks of the trees, peering through the brush at the scene before him. Lionel was there.

****

"I'm concerned that he's using my son and his money." Lionel spread his hands while turning his gaze to the ground for effect before continuing softly, "This just isn't normal behavior for Lex. He's being too generous and neglecting his normal habits. And with the odd...people here..." He shrugged helplessly.

"Clark? You think he's a mutant? But he's, he's-" Lana trailed off and looked up at Lionel, eyes wide. "Do you think that's why both Chloe and I...were interested?"

Clark caught sight of the smile Lionel quickly hid before answering. "I'm not sure, but it's possible."

Lana fiddled with the bottom of her pale, pink blouse. "Maybe." She cast her gaze from side-to-side. "I-" Clark watched her, hoping for the right answer. She was the nice girl, not a spy, but she shook her head and straightened her shoulders before rushing to complete the thought, "I can keep an eye on him for you."

"And you'll let me know what you learn?" Lionel prodded, affecting a worried tone.

She nodded, mouth pressed into a firm line as she looked up and met his gaze steadily. "Yes."

Clark slumped silently against the tree he'd hid behind, his eyes closed. One word. It wasn't supposed...Lana wouldn't...but she had. He turned and sped back to the line and his tools. Grimly, he finished the line, headed back home, and ducked into the tool shed, where he put his tools away with meticulous care. He sped into the house for his shower, avoiding his Dad who was still working in the main barn. His Mom was right there though. He caught sight of her worried frown as he flashed by and up the stairs.

****

Fresh from the shower, Clark stared in the mirror, his green eyes dark with his disquiet. His friends weren't supposed to be the threats. The ones attempting to hurt them; they're who he expected to have to guard against. And Lionel. They were only enemies when Lex was involved. Lex. Did he know what his father was up to? Clark shrugged. He'd find out after school when he went over to hang out or stay the weekend, whichever direction his own Dad finally decided on.

Pulling out a comb, he quickly brushed the still damp strands of his hair into place. It'd dry on the run to school. And be a mess, but at least he could say he tried. Head down and bag slung over his shoulder, Clark jogged down the hallway. The clomping patter of his feet chased him down the stairs and straight into his mom.

She reached out and caught hold of his arm, forcing him to choose between stopping or brushing her off. He stopped. "Clark, are you all right?" Her voice was soft and earnest. Clark could hear the worry in it.

He shrugged before brushing his hair back with one hand. "I saw Lana while on the line. She--" He peered through the fringe of his bangs, glancing at his Mom and the wrinkles around her eyes, the little bit of bruising that meant she wasn't sleeping enough. She already worried about him as it was. And she liked Lionel. He couldn't give her this too, not now. "Things are tense since we talked."

"Oh, honey." She tugged him into a hug.

"I'll be fine, Mom." He wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently. Letting go, he eased back slightly. "Did Dad ever decide if I could stay over or not?" He shuffled from foot to foot, squirming the rest of the way out of the embrace. "I'm not all that welcome at the party this year. Those who aren't mad about Lana are mad about Chloe." He looked down, grimacing slightly. "And Pete's...I'm tired of being told I'm not normal. I'm normal for me. Shouldn't it be enough?"

Pursing her lips, Martha patted his arm. "Do your chores before you go this afternoon. I'll take care of your father." She pecked him on the cheek, smiling softly. "Have fun, and we'll see you on Sunday."

Clark grinned, his green eyes lighting up, and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Gently he enfolded her in a hug, whispering softly, "I love you."

"Of course, dear," followed him out the door.

****

Waving bye to the cook, Clark wandered into the main entryway, the corners of his eyes crinkling and his smile widening as he finally relaxed. School had been hell, especially after lunch. At least before lunch, he'd only had to actively dodge Lana. But then sometime during lunch Lana had convinced Chloe to join her in 'watching' him. He snorted. Pretty words for a dirty job. She'd lied to Chloe, stating that she was worried something was influencing him. She hadn't mentioned Lionel or their meeting, but Chloe with her obsession about the local mutants had jumped at it. She was the one he worried about cornering him in the bathroom or somewhere else equally embarrassing if she got worried enough. And what was he supposed to say? That it was just his mother and a bit of common sense? Shoot. They might start following her around next.

Shaking his head he bounded up the stairs, calling out "Lex!" as he went. Mere moments later, he heard the soft clicks of Lex's shoes. He tilted his head to the side, focusing in on the sound. His only sane friend seemed to be coming from his office, which meant he'd been working or plotting, which kind of was working, but Lex certainly enjoyed it more than the other aspects. He chuckled softly. Lex had the oddest hobbies. Still grinning, he paused on the first landing as the soft sound of Lex's shoes fell silent.

Lex leaned over the upper banister, a smile warming his eyes as he caught sight of Clark waiting. "Clark! You're early." Lex tipped his head to the side, eyes narrowing before his smile widened. "And a bag. You can stay?"

"Yeah." Grinning back, Clark added, "I'm yours till Sunday."

****

Lex smirked, biting back a comment that would have turned the innocent statement into more. He waved Clark up, eyeing his younger friend, not just young anymore. Five months actually. It would of course be pleasing if Clark meant it on a different and more permanent basis, but he'd take this platonic offer for now. Possibly the issues they'd be dealing with this weekend could build a platform for more.

Nodding, Lex walked down the stairs until he met up with Clark, sliding one arm around his back and gripping his shoulder as he turned to guide them back up the stairs and to Clark's room. Eyeing Clark, he decided to see if he couldn't map out some of their activities for the weekend. Mainly determining whether or not he'd actually have Clark to himself or if he'd have to...share. "Decided about the party tomorrow?"

Clark turned his head, his warm smile faltering until it was more of a grimace. "Would it be all right if we just stayed in or did something else?" Clark's shoulders rose as he sighed heavily. "I'm not exactly popular or welcome right now."

Lex's lips thinned and he tightened his grip. He wanted the weekend to be just the two of them, but not at the expense of Clark. "What happened?"

"Uhm. A bunch. I kinda didn't really mention a bunch of stuff. Not because I didn't trust you. I just...I just wanted to forget and have fun when we were hanging out." Clark shrugged, then added softly, "It was nice. You've always been nice."

Lex dipped his head in acknowledgment and took a moment to half-hug Clark before moving them onwards. "Go on."

"I got some sense knocked into me by Mom." Clark laughed, offering a wry smile.

Lex found himself snickering as well at the image of Mrs. Kent swiping Clark over the head with 'Some Sense', which was possibly shaped like a pie. "And this led to..." he prompted.

"I figured out I didn't like Lana and that I can tell Chloe 'no' when it matters. I don't want to date them." He shrugged and turned to Lex, eyes tired and sad. "I told them that and Lana's--Did you know your father's in town?"

Lex stiffened, his eyes narrowing in a combination of surprise and concern. "Yes." Tightening his grip on Clark, he guided them past the main guest rooms and towards the collection of rooms in the vicinity of his personal bedroom. Reaching around Clark, he palmed open the door to the winter woods room as he thought of it. It seemed their discussion would occur a bit earlier than he had originally planned. "Here. You can have this one for the weekend." He stepped past Clark and settled into the over-stuffed, warm-toned, brown leather chair across from the small love seat in front of the fireplace and the large, flat-screen TV in the suite's sitting room. They went well with the ice-blue walls and tan color scheme of the tan Egyptian cotton and suede bed coverings. The theme suited Clark. Subtle and intriguing. Hands folded and legs crossed, he calmly watched Clark. One eyebrow rose and his smile widened in amusement as his companion continued to stand in the doorway.

Shaking his head, Clark crossed the sitting room and set his bag at the foot of one of the short couch before settling down across from Lex. "So."

Lex tipped his chin to the left. "Before we start that, the important things. That door connects to my room." He waved his hand to the wall to his right. "The one opposite it is your bathroom. And your bedroom is through the archway behind me. Feel free to make yourself at home." He waited for an acknowledgment from Clark and then sat forward. Now was as good a time as any to get into this. "When did you meet with my Father?"

Clark squirmed, ducking his head sheepishly. "I didn't exactly meet with him," he hedged. "I was working the line when I heard Lana. I thought it'd be a chance to talk without everyone butting in on it, but then I heard your Dad." He paused and looked up, half shrugging in apology. "I stayed and listened. I don't think either knew I was there. He claimed he's worried I'm influencing you. Hinted to Lana I'm a mutant." His voice softened as he hunched in on himself. "She was horrified. Now she's spying on me. She's got Chloe helping her, though I don't think Chloe knows about Lionel." Staring at the carpet, he added without thinking. "Good thing I never told them anything."

Lex's eyes widened when he heard the last bit. His father's machinations had been expected. Lionel considered it fun to use people against each other. It made the game more interesting, which amused the devil in him. But this, now this was what Lex wanted. And to find out it wasn't the girls' first. That made it interesting. Moving swiftly, he rose from his chair and joined Clark on the two-seater. "Anything about what?" he asked softly.

Clark's head shot up, eyes wide.

He hadn't done it on purpose then. No matter. An unconscious decision meant he could be properly coaxed into sharing what Lex wanted. Offering Clark a wry smile, not bitter this time, he rolled his shoulders and stretched before relaxing against the couch corner, one arm falling along its back. "All right. I won't ask...for now." His eyes darkened as he watched Clark relax in relief, the tension easing from Clark's sturdy frame. He had no intention of being a threat. Considering the circumstances, he found Clark's reaction reasonable, but still unwelcome. No matter. It would be dealt with soon enough. He waited until Clark had settled into the couch, the edges of his hair brushing the top of Lex's hand. Lex watched as the silence slowly got to Clark, causing his brow to furrow and a nervous frown to crawl into place.

"Your father?"

"He left shortly before you got here." Lex let the silence gather again, almost smothering the two of them in its anticipation as he watched his secretive friend. "Can I trust you Clark?" His clear and measured tone snapped the tension between them.

Clark started, his eyes widening slightly. He began to answer, but then paused. This wasn't one of their normal conversations. There was an importance there he didn't yet understand. He waited to see if Lex had anything else to add to the question.

Lex smiled, eyes glinting approvingly. "Considering the steps my...father has taken, I think this is important to the decision you'll have to make." He caught Clark's gaze, his eyes and voice hardening until there was an edge. "But this isn't something you can discuss freely. It needs to remain between us. Can you give me your word on this and that you'll listen to everything I mean to say before walking away?"

Green eyes wide, Clark nodded. He swallowed once and then again before reaching over and resting a hand on Clark's knee. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Satisfied, Lex allowed the seriousness of the moment fade before offering a warm smile. It was hard not to feel content under the combined influence of Clark's warm hand and silent concern. "How old do you think my Father is?" It wasn't one of the most original opening gambits, but it would allow him to get one of the bigger shocks out of the way.

Taken aback, Clark answered hesitantly, "My Dad's age?"

Lex laughed, head falling back against the soft leather. "You've heard the rumors about the castle?"

Clark nodded. The supposed rumors behind its owner had been the talk of the town during its construction. "That it's the ancestral home of the Luthors?"

"Right. It's not, but it was my father's home. He lived in it at one point centuries back."

Clark squeaked slightly, clearing his throat as he started to speak. He fell silent, swallowing back his comment on the impossibility when Lex raised one elegant hand. He waited, gripping Lex's knee.

"My father isn't human. He belongs to a race that abandoned Earth well outside of recorded history. A few remained, but he was an outcast amongst them. He's genetically imperfect. Incapable of their ultimate goal: 'Ascension'." He smirked. This was one aspect that he'd taken pleasure in since his father had started taunting him for his own supposed genetic issues. Lex watched Clark's face and the emotions that flitted across it. Disbelief gave way to fascination, but a cautious hope won out over all of them. "It's a change in their state of being that gives them more control over the world around them as far as I can tell. Lionel has some aspects of the control when in his mortal form, but he can't manage a full transition. The change he is capable of doing is limited in time and power." Lex turned his gaze to the room and the rough hewn walls of the castle. "The Roman time period was one of his favorites. He could play at being a god and manipulate the 'lowly mortals'."

Clark opened his mouth, closed it and then blurted out, "He doesn't look that old!"

Lex laughed softly. "His half-state slows his aging. How you've seen him is probably what he actually looks like. Maybe. The rest is mind tricks. He finds a couple that serves his purposes, uses his abilities to cast himself as their son, and crafts an illusion that ages appropriately. Human minds are ridiculously easy to manipulate according to him." Lex shook his head, relief rolling through him. He reveals both his and Lionel's heritage and that's the only part Clark has issue with. Age.

"Uhm..."

"Yes, Clark?" Eyebrow raised, he waited.

"Are you really his son?" The 'How old are you' going unsaid.

"Yes. And Lillian was my actual mother." Lex's eyes crinkled in amused exasperation. "I'm not that old, Clark."

A hesitant smile appeared on the emerald-eyed farmer's visage. He leaned back, his cheek coming to rest on Lex's arm as he requested a reprieve. "So that means I can still tempt you into watching a stupid movie where lots of things blow up?" At last, that's how Lex decided to take the question. It didn't mean never, not after what he'd revealed. It couldn't. Just not now. That he could deal with.

Fondly, he brushed the nape of Clark's neck with the tips of his fingers before disentangling himself and rising. Pulling at the collar of his shirt, he headed towards the door connecting their rooms. "I'll meet you back here after I change into something better suited for lounging while watching gratuitous violence." He paused half-way through the door and added, "The DVDs are in the cupboards adjoining the fireplace. I'm sure you can find _something_ fitting that description."

****

Clark stared at the door Lex had walked through. Not that old. Clark snorted and moved to pick out a movie. Then he stopped his fingers on the spines of the DVDs. He could have told Lex...No, that wasn't something to think about now. He gnawed at his bottom lip. Lex had told him the truth...as a story. And he wanted to believe it. He wanted it to be true. Because then he could tell his and it'd be all right. They'd be all right. Clark glanced at the door and then back to the DVDs under his fingers. He dragged his fingertip along the spine of one movie. _Under Siege_. It'd have some good scenes. He shrugged. Scenes they'd seen a dozen times before, but that didn't seem to be the point tonight. Lex had trusted him and now he had to decide whether or not he believed and trusted Lex. He scrubbed his hand through his hair and flopped back onto the two-seater couch. Explosions and pithy remarks were just the distraction to give him time while he figured this out.

****  
Casey had his laughably untrained assistant now. They weren't too far from the part where she saved his butt and both he and Lex would turn and look at each other, laughing. For now Lex just lounged in his 'I'm relaxing clothes'. Clark snorted softly. Designer jeans a machine had stretched so they'd feel loose and an ice-blue tailored shirt. He shrugged, half-smiling. It was a few steps down from his suits though and they fit him well. Loose enough to move with him and tight enough that every muscle-shift was visible. And that wasn't the point. The point was whether he should take Lex at his word just like Casey took that ex-beauty queen's word about using the gun. Lex's hand and arm blocked the screen as his best friend reached across him to grab the remote. One lithe finger pressed on the turner and the screen froze. Worrying his bottom lip, Clark chanced a glance at Lex and winced at the expectation there. The belief that he would be no different than anyone else. He wished he could just say "Yes! Yes, I believe you." But his Dad's voice whispered in his ear about traps, and ploys, and those god-damned Luthors. He swallowed, ducking his head and focusing on his clenched fists. He could feel his nails digging into the skin they couldn't break.

A quiet, tired whisper came from beside him. "Just say it Clark. Just ask."

He closed his eyes, shoulders hunching even further. Muscles pulled tight he gave a short, sharp jerk of his head. "I'm an alien." Low and tight he snapped the words out, shoving them through the promises and years and _"Don't tell. Don't tell. Bad things will happen if you tell."_ He swallowed around the tightness of the ball in his throat. "My planet died. Exploded. I'm sup-supposed to be the only survivor. I came with the meteors." He sat back with his fingers digging into his forearms and his eyes still closed. "They're dead. Dead except for a damn AI in the ship that tells me nothing I want to hear because I'm not old enough." He laughed, bitterness giving it a sharp edge.

Sure, slender fingers pulled at his hands, easing them away from his arms and breaking the grip that should have bruised him, but didn't. They stroked his palm, following the lines of the tensed muscles until they relaxed and he relaxed with them, slumping against the couch. He opened his eyes and stared down at the fingers trailing along his hands. Slowly he raised his gaze and looked at Lex. His lips were quirked in a barely there smile and his eyes were warm, just like always when Lex was pleased. They weren't more. They were less than normal, but it was a less he found he liked. The restraint, the control that he tacked onto every gesture was absent and Lex was more for its disappearance. Green eyes crinkling at the corners, Clark smiled with him. "So."

One slim eyebrow rose questioningly and Clark sighed. Lex would always be Lex.

"Is your Dad hunting me?"

Releasing Clark's hands with a last caress, Lex turned his attention to the screen and the fight scene frozen across its screen. He stared at it, letting his eyes follow the outlines of the characters. "I believe his ultimate goal is a bit more destructive than that." He flicked a glance in his younger friend's direction before turning back to the screen. A barely noticeable frown tugged at the corners of his lips, adding a strain to the non-expression he portrayed. "You have a tendency of upsetting his plans. Something he doesn't deal well with."

"I think I got that part, Lex."

Lex shifted, turning his attention from the screen. One eyebrow rose, highlighting his smirk as he brought his gaze up to meet Clark's exasperated one. "And your rendering me immune to his more...mystical manipulations. You've got that as well?"

Eyes widening, Clark opened then closed his mouth. He tipped his head to the side, eyeing Lex in disbelief. "I've what?"

"Apparently I am no longer susceptible to my Father's less than corporeal manipulations. You are the only element in my life that has changed."

"I'm psychic?" His eyes widened even more and his hands gripped his own arms again. Shaking his head, he shrugged off Lex's frown and his attempts to get him to release the punishing grip he had on his forearms.

Finally, Lex snapped out, "Let go before I hurt myself."

Clark quickly released his grip, but he remained pale and rather shaken. He watched as Lex turned his attention to soothing the tenseness from his hands. Following the soothing rhythm of his best friend's strokes, Clark allowed himself to settle down. He swallowed audibly and started to speak, only to stop when his voice grated out as little more than a harsh whisper. Clearing his throat, he swallowed again. This time he sounded more like himself. "I didn't know. I didn't even know I could." He paused, watching the sure touch of those slender fingers. "Do you know when it started?"

"No. He let it slip accidentally. I merely confirmed it afterwards."

"Oh." Clark licked his lips and raised his head, catching Lex's gaze. "Maybe-maybe it's not me. It could be something you're doing?" He winced at the begging tone he could hear in his own voice. Lex probably thought he was an idiot for not wanting this ability, but he already had so many abilities to control. He didn't need any more.

Lex's eyes softened as he shook his head slightly. "No. I don't believe so, since this protection extends only to those important to you. Your parents and myself as far as I know." Clark ducked his head in response to the reassuring squeeze Lex gave his hands before continuing, "We'll figure it out Clark."

"We?" There was wariness in his tone. He'd never been a 'we' before, not with this, his heritage.

"Yes."Lex smirked, a smug assurance filling his voice. "I believe we'll make a legendary partnership."

Stunned pleasure suffused Clark's face and voice as he grinned. "Yeah. No one'll know what hit them. Not even Lionel."

Lex laughed at that, a warm rolling tone that filled the room. "No, I don't think they will."

Nodding, Clark followed the slight tug from Lex and settled next to his best friend and future co-conspirator. He nudged the TV turner with one knee. "So?" The exasperated look Lex threw him only made him laugh. It felt good and clean. Sure Lionel was coming after him, but he had Lex and Lex had him. It would be all right. Eventually. "What? I like watching Casey win against the impossible. And the battle scenes are awesome."

Lex snorted, shaking his head as he flicked play on the remote and the characters leapt into action. "You're a cheap date."

"And still the best one you've ever had." Clark glanced down at his hands when the soothing caresses Lex had continued almost absentmindedly, that is if Lex actually did things absentmindedly instead of on purpose, paused before resuming their slow, steady movement. "I'll actually stand up to your Dad."

"It's been said that 'The average man doesn't like trouble and danger'."

Clark shrugged. "We're not average, Lex. Now gimme the popcorn. I'm hungry."

Fondness colored Lex's voice as he smiled softly. "You're always hungry."

"We both are. Sometimes even for the same thing." Snatching the offered container of over-buttered, popped kernels, Clark grinned at the raised eyebrow Lex threw his way. Today had ended a lot better than it'd started.

DONE...For now.

  



End file.
